Operating Costs in 1927"-- - A New Guide.
Page 41
Page 42
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
DROBABLY the most valuable compilation ever prepared for circulation in the commercial motor industry is The Commercial Motor get of Tables of Operating Costs, which cover every type of vehicle and haulage appliance employed for passengers or goods, and, in view of the fact that an entirely new scale of taxation of commercial motors comes into force on January 1st next and that modifications in certain basic charges may be expected, these Tables in their re-cast form are given particular prominence in this issue.
The Tables .are valuable to the transport manager with a large fleet under his control and equally So to the owner-driver with but a single vehicle, because they lay down definite and well-considered principles of accountancy for motor vehicle operation, principles which must be applied whether a fleet be large or small. Because they are the result of averaging the ascertained costs of a number of owners and operators in the employment of vehicles In all sorts of work and In all parts of the country, the figures form a basis of comparison and, in most cases, of emulation.
Rate-cutting being a practice to be strongly deprecated, we recommend the adoption of the Tables by every haulier and carrier. They bring home to the inexperienced the need for making allowances for depreciation, for interest of capital employed, for replacement of tyres as they become worn and for maintenance and overhaul of the chassis and body. They emphasize the fact that a quotation for a haulage job should not be based on the wages of the driver and the cost of the petrol and oil consumed in carrying it out. Yet, for how many quotations have those been the only factors considered? Rate-cutting is suicidal ; unfortunately, it hits as well the other man who is trying to carry on his business in an honest way—honest to himself and his employees as well as to his customers—and it is only to be prevented by the Alissernination of sound information such as The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs can provide.
We always say that, not only should a haulier or carrier use the Tables himself, but he should see that his competitor has them for his own edification and guidance, and for this reason we ask for names and addresses of hauliers to whom we may send copies of the Tables, which is done post free every year to the extent of many thousands.
Our article preceding the. Tables has been given a place of importance—our centre pages—because we desire that our readers shall be clearly informed upon the bases of our calculations and on the reasons for the adoption of their tiarticular framework. They will then know how to employ the Tables in connection with their own business, for, where averages are employed, it is obviously necessary that modifications must be made to suit local and also personal circumstances. Thus, where fuel costs move or a different wage is paid to the driver or an ascertained maintenance cost is lower than Is shown in our Tables, it is easy to correct the figures and to recast the totals. Intelligently used, the Tables can be invaluable to a transport undertaking.
The Need for Specialization in Ambulance Design.
IT has for long been felt, particularly in municipal circles, that the time has come when cominercial motor manufacturers should give greater attention to the needs of ambulance authorities, so that sick and injured persons can be transported to hospital or nursing home with the minimum of distress and discomfort. At the moment the few Makes of ambulance which are available in this country areconsidered to be lacking in certain essentials, owing, it is said, to an absence of understanding of the special factors involved In ambulance work.
Manufacturers can, perhaps, be excused for their apparent disinterested attitude towards the market for ambulances, for it is admittedly a limited one. But can they also be excused for failing to recogbize that the chassis built primarily for ambulance Service would be equally suitable for certain other classes of transport, particularly where fragile goods have to be carried and where speed and a low load-line are of paramount concern?
Whatever their viewpoint, however, it is imperative that they should know that ambulance authorities regard the typical light goods or passenger chassis as unsuitable for the basis of 'vehicles used for carrying persons in ill-health. It is for this reason that the Metropolitan Asylums Board has set itself the task of constructing a spechnen ambulance which embodies in its design the various characteristics considered indispen'sable. The result of its efforts is the vehicle fully described elsewhere in this issue. A careful study of our article will show that its many speciEl features are incorporated, because they serve a definite purpose and are not mere attempts to find Something new. For example, the offset drive, although a departure from generally accepted practice, enables a remarkably low load-line to be obtained, and this feature, together with a wide track and long wheelbase, ensures adequate riding comfort.
It is not suggested that finality in design has been reached even in the new M.A.B. ambulance, but it is certainly a useful contribution towards the solution of an urgent national problem. As such, its importance cannot be exaggerated, and the possibilities of the new model are deserving of the most ca.reful consideration. The first maker who thinks it worth while to build to a specification which closely resembles that drawn up by the M.A.B. should secure not only a useful flow of c18 orders for ambulances, but the lasting gratitude of medical officers of health throughout the country.
Where Improvement can be Effected in Bodywork.
rilHE subject of bodywork is of almost as great Importance as that of the chassis, and yet many users purchase excellent chassis and, to use an old saying, "spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar," by economizing on the bodies, and this does not apply only to the passenger vehicle. How often one sees bodies for goods vehicles Which exhibit obvious signs of poor workmanship and poor material after only a few months in service !
If all-round efficiency is to be attained and the vehicle is to be of good value from the publicity point of view, it is essential that both material and workmanship should be of first quality.
Shoddy bodies may even cause serious losses of time, as they quickly warp, bulge and become so far out of alignment that it is sometimes only with considerable difficulty that tailboards, doors, etc., can be opened and closed.
In the case of passenger vehicles there are several factors to be considered. Of primary importance is the comfort of the occupants, and this must be regarded from two aspects—actual seating comfort and the prevention of annoying rattles and squeaks: A good deal of trouble is still experienced with ill-fitting doors. In some instances the hinges begin to wear and sag after a short time ; in others body shrinkage and play due to flexion of the chassis frame cause doors to become unlatched when vehicles are running over rough roads.
Much attention should be given to the seating. It is always difficult to design this to meet the needs of all passengers, and at the best it must always be a compromise. We have, for instance, not yet reached the stage of providing special seats for children, as is done on some Continental vehicles. In some coaches the seats are tilted at an excessive angle, so that a passenger feels that he is wedged into the space between cushion and squab$ More room in some vehicles could with advantage be provided for the feet. Ti.e seat backs are often carried right down to the floor when a space might just as easily be left under them, and It is surprising how much extra comfort such toeroom can afford.
Greater attention should be given to the provision of more satisfactory all-weather equipment, and the storage of detachable side curtains, etc., Is not always effected in a manner which can be considered as really satisfactory ; they usually encroach too much upon the space which could beneficially be employed for passengers' luggage.
In buses the upholstered squab is now no longer looked upon as a luxury, but as an essential. The unfaced wood back is uncomfortable and is deleterious to clothing. Spring backs are being used to an increasing extent, but it is unwise to make these too flexible, otherwise there is the momentary feeling that one is being left behind when the bus starts. The central gangways on some vehicles are still made excessively narrow, making it almost impossible for stout persons to obtain access without causing inconvenience both to themselves and to other passengers, and last, but not least, a strong effort should be made to secure modification of the regulations which prevent buses being built to the full legal width of 7 ft. 6 ins. It would make a lot of difference to the comfort of passengers.